Today the Church celebrates the departure of Jesus Christ to the Father’s house.

The Lord, after having fulfilled His mission of redemption, presented Himself resurrected for 40 days to the Apostles and left us His Church founded with Peter at its head.

The Evangelist Mark also presents to us a message full of hope and Christian joy. Today the Kingdom of God has been established with the defeat of death and triumph over the power of evil: “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved”.

The Lord before going to His Father tells us that to be saved we must believe. What is to believe? It is to have faith in Him and to follow Him carrying our daily cross: “without Me You can do nothing”, because it is Christ who is the spiritual strength that helps us to face everyday problems and frees us from the injustices of sin. As the Second Reading from Paul says: “May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of great might, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens”. Ef. 1:18-21. This is the faith in the glory and the triumph of Christ that strengthens us and helps us to discern to see His work in the world and thus become cooperators of the message of salvation to the most needy.

I do not wish to end without congratulating all the mothers on this day. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin Mary, the mother of faith, in this month of May to intercede with her Son for the mothers living and also for those who have left for the house of the Father.Let us pray a rosary together as a family for all the mothers.Happy Mother’s Day!